Singapore manhunt for 'JI leader' enters week 2

A massive manhunt for an alleged extremist leader who escaped from custody in Singapore has entered its second week, with authorities carrying out strict border checks.

Mas Selamat bin Kastari, the alleged Singapore head of regional terror group Jemaah Islamiah (JI), slipped out of a heavily guarded detention facility on February 27 after being allowed to go to the toilet during a visit by family members.

Singapore, where such security breaches are rare, has launched a huge hunt, with many Singaporeans raising questions and criticising the government for the apparently easy way in which he was able to escape.

Security forces including paramilitary Nepalese Gurkhas employed by the police have been combing the island's forested nature reserves and urban areas, while keeping a tight watch on its borders with Malaysia and Indonesia.

Posters of Kastari, a Singaporean, have been pasted across the island and his image sent through multimedia messaging by the country's three telecom operators to their 3.9 million mobile phone subscribers.

The posters state that Kastari walks with a limp on his left leg, distinctly visible when he walks briskly or runs.

Interpol has issued a "red notice" alert for Kastari, which allows a "warrant to be circulated worldwide with the request that the wanted person be arrested with a view to extradition," according to the global police body's website.

Kastari was accused of plotting to hijack a plane in order to crash it into Singapore's busy Changi Airport in 2001, but was never charged in court.

He was being held under an internal security law which allows for detention without trial.

Security analysts said Kastari is likely to attempt to escape to Indonesia, whose nearest islands are just an hour by boat from Singapore, and link up with JI members.